Chapter One
John hid behind the dark shadow of leaves as he sat on a branch quietly, waiting for his dinner to arrive. He yawned from boredom, having been sitting on the same tree branch for about an hour and a half. "I knew I should've gone on Main St. to eat." John clutched his stomach as it growled loudly, a low groan escaping his throat. They boy's ears perked up as he heard the laughter of three cheerleaders. The ones that always made fun of John during school. He smiled deviously as his blue eyes flared red. "Time to feed."
John jumped from the tree, landing on his feet in front of the giggling girls. They all shrieked for a moment before realizing who it was. "Hey look guys!" the tallest girl exclaimed. "It's just Egdork." The three cheerleaders burst out laughing as John stood there with a smirk.
"Very funny, Jamie. Where'd you come up with that, the back of a milk carton?" He snickered at his own joke.
"What are you doing here, Egdork," asked the shortest girl. "Shouldn't you be at home with your daddy? Oh wait," she snorted. "You're daddy's dead!" Once again, a roaring laughter erupted from the girls' mouths as John walked up to the shortest one, placing a hand on her neck and rubbing his thumb around in circles.
"It's such a shame, Emily," the brunette said, speaking in a soft tone. "You have such beautiful skin. I'd hat to suck the blood out of it." He chuckled devilishly as all three girls looked at him, frightened and confused. "Just kidding." John pushed the girl's head don, opening up her neck and quickly sinking his teeth into her.
*vampire bites*
"Breaking news, three girls who are Juniors at Skaia High were found dead 9 p.m this evening. Reporters say they were found on the corner of Prospit St. and Derse. Rd. They say all three of them had their blood drained from their bodies, and they had similar bite marks on the right side of their necks. Investigators are still determining the cause of death. If anybody has any information, please cal-" Click!
Dave sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Not again..." The blonde boy stoop up, grabbing his katana. "Bro, I'm going to work! Don't wait up!" Dave opened the front door, dashing out of the house and heading towards Main St. "Fucking filthy vampires. I know where you're going next."
*vampire bites*
Dave peaked out from behind a ledge on top of a building, keeping his eye on the alley across the street. "C'mon," he mumbled. "I know that's where you hide." The blonde was growing tired as he stared into the alley, but he knew he had to keep awake or else the vampire would get away.
It had been two hours before Dave saw something moving. His eyes widened as he saw a head popping out, looking from side to side. Dave gripped his katana tightly. "It's game time," he whispered, jumping from the building and landing in front of the figure. "Freeze, va-" Dave gasped softly. "John?"
John stood frozen, breathing heavily. "D-Dave?"
"John, what are you doing here? It's not safe." Dave quickly grabbed John's hand, pulling him next to the blonde. "I'm taking you home, okay? I just...don't want to see you get hurt." Dave put his arm around John's shoulder, holding him close and protective.
John's face paled more than it already was, his eyes flashing a quick ruby red as he glanced at Dave's neck. He had already eaten, but for some reason, his hunger raged every time he was anywhere near Dave.
"John, can I ask you something?"
"W-what is it, Dave?" the brunette stuttered.
"Do you..." Dave bit his lip at the thought of asking his best friend this question. "Do you believe in vampires?"
John gulped. "V-vampires?" He looked at Dave, nodding a bit. "W-well...I guess I do."
"Good," the blonde said softly. "Because they are, and they're everywhere." Dave turned to face John as they got to his house, placing his hands on both of the boy's shoulders. "John, I want you to listen to me very closely, okay? I don't want to see you get killed by a vampire, so don't stay out after nine, that's when they like to feed. Don't trust everyone you know because they could be a vampire trying to lure you in. Vampires are disgusting creatures, John. They're not human, and shouldn't even be considered as being human once. They don't deserve to live on a world filled with innocent people just so they can eat them."
John felt his heart sink as he heard Dave talking badly about what he is. "B-but what if there are nice vampires out there," he stuttered. "I-I'm sure there are." John hoped he could change Dave's view on some vampires. That not all of them are out to kill.
"No John," the blonde said quickly. "No vampire or 'human' can be trusted. No matter ho nice they seem." Dave quickly enveloped John in his arms, tangling his fingers in the boy's brunette locks. "I've gotta go." He pressed a quick kiss to John's forehead, looking into John's blue eyes with a hint of worry in his voice. "Please stay safe."
And with that, he left, leaving John standing at his front door, unaware of how brokenhearted John now was. Dave yawned as he stepped into his house, setting his katana by the door where it usually was. "Bro, I'm home!" The young Strider didn't hesitate to fall face first into a couch cushion, wanting to fall asleep right there.
The taller male walked into the living room, face stuffed with pizza. "Did'ya catch any bloodsuckers, lil man?" Bro asked with a mouth full of food.
"Nah," Dave replied tiredly. "But I did see John where I killed that baby vamp. I just brought him home about ten minutes ago."
Bro sighed, face palming into his unusually large hand. "Lil bro, John is the vampire!"
"W-What?" The younger male stuttered, slowly sitting up.
"Why the hell else would he be in that alley!"
"You're lying!" Dave exclaimed, feeling his body trembling. "J-John can't be a vampire. He just can't! He's John. Vampires are disgusting, bloodsucking creatures who don't care about how we feel, they're just out to kill! John's sweet and caring, there's no way he's a vampire!"
Bro growled as he clenched his hands into fists. "THAT'S WHAT HE FUCKING WANTS YOU TO THINK!" The older Strider took a few breaths to calm himself down before speaking. "He's just waiting for the right moment to get you to fully trust him so he can get you alone to suck your blood and kill you."
Dave didn't know how to handle this. He couldn't believe his own brother was going against his best friend. He didn't even know know what to say at this point. "I-I," he stuttered, still trembling. "I can't believe you're saying this shit, Bro. We've basically raised John. We took care of him when his dad was killed."
"He's probably the one that did it," Bro grumbled.
"Don't say that!" Dave growled, feeling tears form in his eyes. "Vampire or not, John wouldn't do that to his own father."
Bro had had enough of this arguing. He sighed, shaking his head with aggravation. "Alright, fine, whatever! Just keep a close eye on him to be safe." Dave stayed silent. "Lil man, you're gonna hate me for this, but I want you to ignore John for a while until he cracks, no matter how long it takes."
"No!" the younger Strider exclaimed. "Only one day. One. And if he doesn't confess, then he's not a vampire. You can't force me to ignore my best friend, Bro."
Bro nodded once in agreement. "Alright, but if you have any trouble, you come get me. Stay safe, lil man."